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NFL icon and Raiders owner Al Davis dies at 82

FILE - In this Dec. 26, 1998 file photo, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis gives a thumbs-up to fans prior to the game with the Kansas City Chiefs, in Oakland, Calif. The Oakland Raiders announce Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011, that longtime owner and Hall of Famer Davis has died. He was 82. It is not immediately clear when and where he died. (AP | Paul Sakuma)

In his long, eventful football life, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis was many things to many people — coach, general manager, Hall of Famer, maverick, contrarian, collector of football misfits, champion, impossible to work with or the best to work with.

It was all there, all stamped with his "Just win, baby" signature.

Davis, a pivotal figure in the history of both the American Football League and the NFL, died at his home Saturday. He was 82.

The cause of death was not immediately known, but Davis' health had been eroding for years. He had been less visible at many league functions and had missed two of his team's games this season.

Al Davis Dies

In a statement, Raiders officials said: "The Oakland Raiders are deeply saddened by the passing of Al Davis. Al Davis was unique, a maverick, a giant among giants, a true legend among legends, the brightest star among stars, a hero, a mentor, a friend."

Davis' battles with the NFL establishment, both in and out of courtrooms and often including his fellow owners and three NFL commissioners, put him at odds with his football peers, none of those more prominent than when he went to court — and won — for the right to move his team from Oakland to Los Angeles in the early 1980s.

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Even after he moved the Raiders back to Oakland in 1995, he sued the NFL for $1.2 billion in an attempt to establish that he still owned the rights to the Los Angeles market, while also suing the city of Oakland for failing to deliver the sellouts that were promised to secure the return of the team.

But he also is considered the only person to have worked in the NFL as a scout, assistant coach, head coach, general manager and owner/CEO, as well as a league commissioner. Davis was the AFL's top executive in 1966 and was a prominent figure in the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.

In this Dec. 18, 1963 file photo, Al Davis, center, head coach of the American Football League's Oakland Raiders, talks with players at the team's home practice field in Oakland, Calif. Davis, the Hall of Fame owner of the Oakland Raiders known for his rebellious spirit, has died. The team announced his death at age 82 on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011. (AP | Robert Klein)

His out-front style — including the way he dressed, with sunglasses and often clad in a warm-up suit in his team's colors — made him a competitive thorn in the side of his league brethren, the Broncos included. The Raiders were one of the fiercest rivals for the Broncos in the AFL and have remained that way in the NFL after the merger.

"During my 28 years with the Broncos, I came to know Al Davis as one of the most influential and innovative people in the history of the National Football League," Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said in a statement Saturday. "His competitive spirit and intensity grew our rivalry with the Raiders into one of the fiercest in all of sports. I respected Al for what he meant to the NFL. He was a visionary who defined the Raiders and had an enormous responsibility for the prosperity of this league."

Current NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called Davis "a true legend of the game."

Davis was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992. He hired the first African-American head coach of the league's modern era — Art Shell — and also hired Amy Trask, the first woman CEO for any franchise in the league. She remains in that position with the team.

On the field, Davis believed in second chances for his players. He also believed in game-changing speed, often taking risks on players with checkered pasts as well as those whose football backgrounds may not have been equal to their stopwatch times — Davis once said, after all, "speed is an integral part of fear."

The strategy worked well enough for the team to be one of the league's best during the 1970s and 1980s on the way to three Super Bowl wins. The team advanced to the Super Bowl to close out the 2002 season — losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — but overall did not return to its past glories as the 20th century turned to the 21st and as Davis' health worsened.

At one point, the Raiders went through five coaches in six seasons — Bill Callahan, Norv Turner, Shell (his second stint with the team), Lane Kiffin and Tom Cable. Davis' last head- coaching hire was former Raiders assistant coach Hue Jackson earlier this year.

Davis was born July 4, 1929, in Brockton, Mass., and grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. His first foray into professional football came with the Baltimore Colts, when he was just 24.

His time in the AFL began with the Los Angeles Chargers in 1960, and he was hired by the Raiders in 1963. After three seasons as Oakland's head coach — he went 23-16-3 — Davis purchased the team he owned until his death.

Questions over Davis' health grew when he did not attend any of the team's training camp practices — he was usually a constant presence on the team's sideline — did not attend the Raiders' Sept. 18 game in Buffalo and was not at the Raiders game against New England last weekend.

Broncos coach John Fox, who was Davis' defensive coordinator in 1994-95 before leaving the team just before the 1996 season — Fox's first job as a defensive play-caller in the NFL — summed it up:

Al Davis biography

Hired as coach and general manager of the AFL's Oakland Raiders in January 1963. At 33, he was the youngest person in pro football history to hold those positions.

Compiled 23-16-3 record in three years as coach.

Appointed American Football League commissioner in April 1966. Resigned six weeks after the AFL and NFL agree to an alliance. Davis rejoined Raiders as managing general partner.

RAIDERS

From 1967-85, the team won 13 division championships, one AFL championship (1967), three Super Bowls (1977, 1981 and 1984) and made playoffs 15 times.

Won AFC championship in 2002.

One of two teams to play in the Super Bowl in four different decades, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

OWNERSHIP

1966 — Purchased 10 percent stake in the Raiders and returned to his old club as one of three general partners, along with Wayne Valley and Ed McGah. He was named head of football operations.

1972 — Revised partnership agreement made him the new managing general partner, with near-absolute control over team operations.

2005 — Acquired majority interest in the Raiders, when he bought the shares held by McGah's family.

2007 — Sold a minority stake in team for $150 million.

LAWSUITS

1980 — Attempted to move the Raiders to Los Angeles but was blocked by a court injunction. Davis filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL. In June 1982, a federal district court ruled in Davis' favor and the team officially relocated to Los Angeles for the 1982 NFL season.

1995 — Moved the team back to Oakland. Davis then sued the NFL, contending the league sabotaged the team's effort to build a stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood. The NFL won a 9-3 verdict in 2001, but a new trial was awarded amid accusations that one juror was biased against the team and Davis, and that another juror committed misconduct. A state appeals court later overturned that decision. The case was thrown out in 2007 by the California Supreme Court.

Mid-1990s — Davis sued the NFL on behalf of the Raiders, saying the team had exclusive rights to the Los Angeles market, even though the Raiders were in Oakland. Davis and the Raiders lost the lawsuit.

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